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BECK YOUTH THEATRE (1992) Registered Charity No. 1040178

Annual report of the Trustees for the year to 31 July 2022

The Beck Youth Theatre is governed by the Constitution and is a registered Charity Address: Mr D Sandys, 6 Mount Pleasant Rd, Ealing, London, W5 1SG

Committee / Trustees for the year 2021-22

Chair: Mr D Sandys Secretary: Mrs Marian Lally Treasurer: Ms Helen Hall

Also:- Sandrajane Stock, Colette Foley and Marie Tampin

Trustees: Damian Sandys and Wendy Brackley

Objects

The objects of the Society are to encourage our Youth Groups to participate in all aspects of appreciation and practice of Drama and the Performing Arts. In our Group 1, ages range from 8 to 11years. Group 2, ages range from 11 to 15 years. Group 3, ages range from 15 to 19 years.

Review of Activities

In August, we were able to reopen the Beck Theatre after the pandemic with a special summer project of The Drowsy Chaperone. When BYT paused all its activities in March 2020, just a few weeks before our scheduled performance of Barnum, we had no idea just how long it would take for us to return to a live performance.

When the opportunity arose to take this slot at the Beck, it was an instant yes, despite the many obstacles in the way. Putting on a full scale production in just two weeks is always a challenge –but one that is in BYT’s DNA. BYT was created as a spin off from the Beck Summer Project, and, although the two now run very separately, it felt incredibly special to be performing in the very slot that marked its origins,34 years on from the very first project. However, normally a production like this has six or seven months to prepare itself in terms of logistics and technical matters; this one was just eight weeks from choosing the show to closing night. This put immense pressure on our creative team, our backstage staff and our volunteers to get everything in place ready for day one –but, for all of us, there was no hesitation because of the wonderful young people we are providing for.

At BYT we passionately believe in the importance of the arts for young people and so it was an absolute delight to open our doors and welcome new members to us for this unique project. It was wonderful to see our existing membership welcome them all so warmly and, within hours, see them interact as if they’ve known each other for years.

The production brought its challenges, and audiences were wary of returning to the theatre so quickly, but this particular production will always be a very special one.

September saw us return to “normality”, with our regular calendar once again in operation. However the youth theatre that is present now is a very different one to the company that last

performed in 2019. As always, our members grow older and move on to university, to jobs, to other areas of life. This current company haven’t been able to enjoy the normal rites of passage through the various stages of BYT – but, nevertheless, I have been moved and inspired by their resilience and camaraderie over the last two years. The world around us may be ever changing, but at the heart of BYT, the key principals are still just as they always have been: teamwork, friendship, commitment and an unwavering support of anyone who is part of the BYT family.

In November, we had another performance opportunity, thanks to MTI’s provision of the royalty free revue, All Together Now. This allowed all three groups to come together and present a wonderful two day run.

Our House was chosen to be the main production of the year, thanks to the wide range of roles available, as well as being a fun show for our members to work on. Following the pandemic, although we picked up a number of members following our summer project, our overall membership was at its lowest for this production. This is an understandable consequence of the pandemic but it undoubtedly had an effect on our finances – both from a shortfall of membership fees, but also in audience attending the production.

Group 1 performed Treasure Island in June, and Group 2 finished the year with The Three Musketeers.

It’s safe to say that the after effects of the pandemic were ongoing throughout the year. Our trustees have discreetly managed to keep the society afloat whilst we pass through this unprecedented time. We hope that next year will bring more stability and allow us to build back our resources again.

Having operated under a skeleton committee during the pandemic, as most other committee members moved on with their children becoming too old to take part, we are now starting to re-build the committee as we move into the next year.

It has been a significantly challenging and unusual year, but we are thankful to have emerged through the year and remain resolute to building the company back together in order to provide for our young members.

Chair: Mr .D Sandys

Date: 7[th] August 2022